NI leap to 26th in world rankings

The list, to be published 6 April, puts Michael O'Neill's men in 26th

Northern Ireland will come within one position of their highest ever FIFA World Ranking when the new list is published on April 6.

The Green and White Army move up to 26th after a 2-0 World Cup qualification win over Norway on March 26 - goals from Jamie Ward and Conor Washington strengthening their grip on a playoff spot for the tournament.

They have only reached such lofty heights twice before - exactly a year ago after a 1-0 friendly win over Slovenia they were instilled in 26th, before further good pre-tournament form saw them climb to 25th by June, before dropping down to 32nd by March 2017.

Michael O'Neill's side will move level with cross-border rivals Republic of Ireland, who recorded a 0-0 qualifying draw with Wales before losing 1-0 at home to Iceland in a friendly.

Quite remarkably, the new rankings will also show Northern Ireland six places above the Netherlands, who drop to a record-low 32nd position after falling eleven positions in one month.

O'Neill's side are breaking plenty of records - they are undefeated in a competitive home match for 43 months and have kept 26 first half clean sheets in their past 30 matches - a national record.

Brazil will replace Argentina at the top of the rankings after they became the first team to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.